The Pacific Surfliner train runs along some of the most spectacular coastline in America, traversing Southern California bluffs and beaches while ocean waves crash on the golden sand nearby.
Soon, some fear it might fall into the ocean.
Rising sea levels and powerful storms are eating away at the ground holding up the tracks on the second most popular Amtrak rail corridor in the U.S. The route runs 351 miles from San Diego through Los Angeles to California’s Central Coast and is also used by freight and commuter trains. The erosion has caused landslides that shut down the Surfliner at least a dozen times in the past six years.
During the shutdowns, engineers have installed boulders, steel pilings and concrete walls that allow the Surfliner to operate again—but only temporarily. Despite the $140 million they have spent on repairs, officials say a more costly, permanent fix is needed because climate change is going to keep pushing up sea levels and making storms more intense.
“Ultimately, these things fail,” said Patrick Barnard, a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. “The water rises and the shoreline wants to move inland.”
Around the U.S., civil engineers are fighting to save hundreds of billions of dollars of coastal infrastructure. Few places are more threatened than California, where transportation routes, homes and businesses built along the Pacific Ocean have long been part of the Golden State’s identity.
In the Central California resort town of Big Sur, officials urged residents to evacuate Wednesday as a storm threatened damage to coastal Highway 1, part of which already collapsed recently. That route has been affected by landslides about 50 times since 2009, and the frequency is growing.
At first I thought this was satire ... apparently people actually believe this.
@SenateHazelForward2wks2W
Yes, climate change. And the ever-shifting/changing planet we live on. Has always been and always will be. Humans should realize this, respect it, and work around it. Respect for nature. Humility as a mere human. Like the native Americans. Not megalomaniacal virtue-signalers.
I have a house in San Clemente and it is about 150 yards from the tracks on a canyon edge. The house is tilting into the canyon. Houses on the bluff are in a precarious situation. There is a trail running parallel to the track which also suffers slides. There are solutions to stabilize the ground but the California Coastal Commission will not allow it. So now you all know the truth which the author does not even mention. I am also one of the morons who bought a property next to water for the access and the view. But I am not asking for public support for my vice. However it would be nice if the government would let me do something with my own land to protect it.
@DelegateMaxUnity2wks2W
This article is factually incorrect and misleading. Most of the track closures are from landslides at cliff areas caused by heavy rains, nothing to do with ocean levels. The San Clemente closures, I think 5 or 6 times in two years, occurred at the exact same spot where the cliff was sliding down a bit at a time until a heavy rain, then more slid down and closed the tracks. The Big Sur closure was caused by the same thing, except the tracks are at the top of a cliff instead of below one. And "almost everyone agrees the tracks need to be moved inland" is provided without any factual support and...
You are exactly correct. This article is not well researched, and either withholds important information, or the reporter is simply uninformed. Natural erosion of cliff land on both sides of the track from storms is the source of track dislocations, not “rising sea levels”, which rise (and fall) twice a day, every single day. They are called tides, and anyone who spends time on the water intuitively knows this. Also, anyone who cares to either consult a tide almanac, or go to the NOAA website can find this out in seconds. In the coming week alone, the tidal range will be over 6… Read more
The use of climate change for the reason for mudslides and erosion is nonsensical. The erosion of hill/mountain sides in CA has been going on for thousands of years, indeed millions. The coastal mountain ranges didn't exist a few million years ago and much of the soil along the coast is sedimentary (and unstable). That means every time we get excessive rain (which has been going on long before we were here) the mud moves. As for beach erosion? The ocean eats away at coastlines everywhere and has forever. The author would have more credibility if he simply stuck to the facts at hand and not try to interject his own unscientific bias.
@ConstitutionDickForward2wks2W
The Pacific Ocean has allegedly risen 6 inches since 1950 or .08 inches per year, just a little more than the thickness of a dime., or an inch and a half in 20 years. This alleged sea rise (or land subsidence?) is de minimus. Erosion is the real factor, not alleged "climate change"
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
Would you support relocating train tracks away from vulnerable coastal areas even if it means losing some of the scenic value of routes like the Pacific Surfliner?
@9LHTNY52wks2W
Scenic value is less important than the prevention of climate change.
@9LHTMSBRepublican2wks2W
Our planet is more important than a view.
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
How would you prioritize repairs and improvements to California's train system given the increasing threats from climate change?
@9LHTYG4 2wks2W
I don't have any strong opinions about it because I don't live in that area of the U.S.
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